TRIB PICK

MCC Community Garden

When you’re craving the most flavorful tomatoes to top off that salad, odds are you won’t find them in the produce aisle at the megamart. That’s why we appreciate the community garden at Mesa Community College.

It’s a great place to get a plot of your own and put your green thumb to use. And it’s the kind of spot where you can get inspired by seeing what else is sprouting from the earth. There’s usually a friendly face around to chat up and get other ideas for the next season. Community gardens are regaining their long-lost popularity with the recession. But the experience of places like MCC’s garden goes a long way toward reminding us why it’s so fun, and tasty, to get our hands dirty once in a while.

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TRIB PICK

Kiana Banks

Heroes come in many forms. Sometimes it’s the bystander who runs into the burning building to pull out someone trapped inside. Sometimes it’s the player who scores the winning basket or touchdown. Sometimes it’s a caped cartoon figure in tights battling the evils of this world.

And sometimes, it’s not the bravest or the biggest, but the person who shows the most heart.

That’s the case with this year’s Best Hero of the East Valley: 7-year-old Kiana Banks of Chandler.

This Hull Elementary School second-grader rallied the community around classmate Amber Fernandez, who is battling acute myeloid leukemia, by setting out to raise $100,000 to help her friend. She’s raised $6,000 so far.

Through fund-raising events and a class quilt project, Kiana has shown Amber a community that cares — and the East Valley a young hero whose compassion for another leads the way.

TRIB PICK

Ed Hochuli (attorney, NFL Referee)

Truth be told, we don’t want to trade places with long-time East Valley resident Ed Hochuli for a day. Give us two.

“I am certainly flattered,” he said. “Trust me, though, there are times out there... I’m thinking those ‘wanna get away’ commercials.”

Wanna get away? Not us. It’s Hochuli’s seat among the most well-respected in both chosen professions (that’s plural) that makes us want to try on this Wisconsin-born-turned-Tempe-area lifer’s shoes for a day (or two).

On Sundays, Hochuli, 61, dons the striped getup for his gig as one of the National Football League’s most well-known — and well-respected — referees. The next morning: back to the “day job,” holding court as a corporate litigator for Jones, Skelton and Hochuli, P.L.C., the Valley-based law-firm he helped start nearly 30 years ago.

“The two careers complement each other so much. I am a much better lawyer, and a much better referee, because of the other,” he explains. “When I’m in the courtroom, the whole concept of being nervous is so foreign... I’m used to being on a football field with 70,000 people and so many more on TV.”

Even amidst Super Bowls and other well-known moments, Hochuli finds it “bizarre” that his football celebrity has soared in recent years. He’s known for giving sermon-like rules interpretations — “If you give a lawyer an open microphone and a captive audience, you get what you deserve,” he quips — and his likeness has been used by the EA Sports Madden NFL video game series, the best-selling sports video game franchise of all time.

“I’m very humbled by it,” he said. “The players are the ones with the talent, the ability. They’re the show. All I am is the administrator of the show.”

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TRIB PICK

ASU Sun Devil Stadium (Section 232, Row 38)

A number of obvious places exist to get great views of the East Valley — that is if you have the cash, or the connections.

Be it the control tower at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (no dice, unless you happen to, you know, actually be an air traffic controller) or a penthouse apartment in Tempe’s trendy, semi-exclusive West 6th high-rises (around $3,000 a month for a two-to-three-bedroom unit), the good things, sadly, are often about access.

But on a half-dozen or so Saturdays each year, a 10-spot and your gold and maroon foam finger provide that access to this year’s pick for “Best View of the East Valley.” That would be the top row (of the upper deck) in the northeast corner of Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

Sure, there are other nearby spots (top of Tempe Butte/A Mountain, for one) that offer similar vistas, but few do it in a 360-degree ambiance that happens to include 70,000-plus of your closest friends or a prime view of a late summer/early fall Sonoran sunset shining down on Tempe Town Lake. Even fewer do it for the $10 to $20 an upper-level ticket to an ASU football game will run you.

Affordable as it may be, alas, even this accessible view of the East Valley and vicinity — including looks at Four Peaks, Red Mountain, and the Superstitions off in the distance — is limited access. You can only see it if you buy a ticket to a game; the facility is closed to the public on all non-game days.

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READER PICK

Sam Clark, Lo-Fi Coffee, Mesa

Owner Sam Clark wanted to be part of the downtown Mesa community when he opened Lo-Fi Coffee last year on Main Street. The coffeehouse, which specializes in vegan baked goods, hosts literary events, poetry open mic nights and live music. But, the star of the show at Lo-Fi is the coffee, and according to voters, Sam serves a great cup roasted by Xanadu Coffee Co. in downtown Phoenix.

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i heart mesa

Started in 2008 as “a guide to loving & living in Mesa, Arizona,” iheartmesa really is all about community pride. The two women behind the blog are friends from Mesa with families in Mesa and even sell Mesa-made T-shirts to help spread the Mesa love. The blog’s posts and guides offer things to do, family tips and business happenings — all in Mesa.

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READER PICK

Casey Hamilton, Hollywood Alley, Mesa

You can’t top beer and rock ‘n’ roll, and Casey Hamilton can get you both at Hollywood Alley, the family-owned and operated live music venue that has been hosting bands for more than 20 years in Mesa. Throw in a little problem solving, and Casey has you covered.

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36 Cents and a Dream

Friends following a dream — that’s what they are about. From Tempe, the blues rockers 36 Cents and a Dream have been able to appeal to a wide audience playing the local bar circuit. And if you want to listen to them at home, you can pick up their debut album “Long Ride Home” on their website.

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READER PICK

Gators, Higley’s Gateway Pointe Elementary School, Gilbert

Gators are known to defend their territory and instill fear with their sharp teeth and powerful bite — perfect for a little school pride, right? The students and staff of Gateway Pointe, a K-8 school in the Higley Unified School District, sure have pride in their swamp.

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Robert Wyatt, Higley’s San Tan Elementary School, Gilbert

Teachers are supposed to care about the students and be good role models. It takes a little extra to make science fun for sixth-graders. And that’s just what Robert Wyatt does. A native Arizonan, Wyatt teaches at San Tan Elementary in the Higley Unified School District. Voters recognized him for not only being a good teacher, but going beyond expectations.

Voter Comments:

“Mr. Wyatt makes learning fun. He takes different teaching approaches and makes sure he finds the teaching strategy that works for each individual student he teaches.”

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Tera Geyer, Higley’s Gateway Pointe Elementary School

Anyone can be good at math. That’s how Tera Geyer approaches teaching the subject to eighth-graders at Gateway Pointe. She takes the fear out of math and helps students find success. And according to voters, she makes connections that go beyond her math class.

Voter Comments:

“Because she cares in so many ways and is always there to help you.”

“She has the best teaching strategies and they are easy to understand!”

READER PICK

A 13-year teaching veteran and mathematics department chair, Heiser has made quite an impression on students, parents and colleagues alike. Heiser teaches AP Calculus and AP Statistics, as well as first- and second-year geometry, so he works with a wide range of students and is able to bring out the best in them. “What sets Mr. Heiser apart from others is his innovative approach to teaching,” said principal Bruce Kipper. “He has embraced technology and makes learning fun and relevant.

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READER PICK

Seton Catholic Preparatory, Chandler

One of the older private schools in the state (opening in 1954), Seton Catholic Prep is in the middle of a renovation project that has been years in the making. The new campus features a new academic and fine arts building, a new chapel and a new football stadium. Seton, with 550 students, made the National Catholic High School Honor Roll as one of the 50 best Catholic secondary schools in the United States. Seton has a strong academic reputation, as well as a solid history in athletics, making it a desireable educational destination.

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Gateway Pointe Elementary

Still a young school at just 7-years-old, Gateway Pointe seems to be maturing with age. One of eight elementary schools in the Higley Unified School District, Gateway Pointe serves kindergarten through eighth grade and does so with a staff that is described by voters as “professional, caring and dedicated to helping students.” The school offers clubs, fine arts and athletics, with 13 different sports options for middle school students, as well as spirit line, drum line and marching band.

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American Leadership Academy, Queen Creek

With K-8 campuses in Gilbert and San Tan Valley and a high school in a strip mall in Queen Creek, American Leadership Academy is the only “The Leader In Me” Lighthouse School in Arizona. The school uses the “Leader in Me” program and Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” to teach students leadership skills. Students must demonstrate these skills by giving service hours, leading classroom discussions, participating in ceremonies and accepting leadership responsibilities — and parents are encouraged to attend seminars to extend the principles at home. Daily homework, 20 minutes of nightly reading and a 95 percent attendance record are required. There’s also a dress code. Like all charter schools, American Leadership Academy is a tuition-free public school that is privately operated.

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READER PICK

Arizona State University

The stats make it easy to see why ASU gets high marks in Arizona higher education: The school ranks among the top in the nation in student entrepreneurs, is one of the top 10 producers of Fulbright Scholars in the U.S., and is home to 612 National Merit Scholars and 324 National Hispanic Scholars.
Faculty members include three Nobel laureates, 12 National Academy of Sciences members, 11 American Academy of Arts and Sciences members, 114 Fulbright American Scholars, 25 Guggenheim Fellows and three members of the Royal Society. Its business, education, public affairs, design and arts programs have been rated in the top 25 percent in the nation.
For voters, those things mattered — but so did far less weighty factors, including “bright and beautiful” campuses, Sun Devil sports, “cool” school colors and the linchpin for one voter: “It’s not the UofA.”

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READER PICK

Mormon Temple, Mesa

For the non-LDS member, what makes the Mormon Temple unique and inspiring is the transformation it makes as the year goes by. In the early part of the year, it transforms into a giant theater as it puts up the massive stage for the annual Easter Pageant, which draws people from all over the world. Then in the summer, it transforms into a park, with green grass, plenty of shade, and plenty of places to walk and contemplate. Late in the year, it becomes a giant Christmas display. All of that happens on the outside of the Temple itself, which is an impressive structure, and serves as a special, holy place for those who enter it.

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READER PICK

Kenny Klaus

Leader of a stable of local real estate professionals, Klaus has been a licensed Arizona realtor since 1999. Together, his Kenny Klaus Team has more than 100 years of experience and ranks in Keller Williams North America’s Top 20. He keeps in touch with clients via a website, Facebook page, Twitter handle and blog, where team members give perspective on local market activity. Klaus hosts a free monthly workshop with a real estate attorney and CPA on short sales and foreclosures.

READER PICK

Keller Williams Integrity First Realty

With the volitile nature of the housing market in the East Valley, one might think that working for a large realty company would be stressful. But judging from the comments about Integrity First, that is not the case. The voters were generous in their praise of a workplace that was described as “fun, successful people helping each other,” and “one big family.”

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READER PICK

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith

Smith burst onto the political scene when he won his initial race for mayor in 2008 and has worked his way into becoming a national figure. A big part of that rise in prominence has been his work for the city and the region. In Smith’s tenure, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport continues to expand. He also worked to lure a college to open a campus in the city in Benedictine University (to open in 2013). He’s also been part of the planning for the Chicago Cubs new spring training complex, as well as the First Solar complex at the old General Motors Proving Grounds.